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How to Prevent Bed Bug Infestations In Senior Care
Bed bugs are not a pleasant topic but one that can be important among senior living communities. Although they were nearly eradicated for decades, many factors have contributed to a growing number of bed bug infestations since the early 2000s. And, because bed bugs thrive in close living environments, how to prevent bed bug infestations is a serious concern in most senior residences. The information we’re sharing will help your team understand the damage that bed bugs cause, identify signs of an infestation, and prevent the spread of bed bugs in your assisted living community.
Identifying Bed Bugs
Although they are very small (about the size of an apple seed), bed bugs can be detected by the naked eye. Adult bedbugs are flat, oval-shaped, and wingless insects that are reddish-brown in color. As their name implies, they mostly hide in the crevices of mattresses and bedding materials. However, they can also be found in other upholstered furniture and clothing. As an infestation grows, the bugs can travel throughout a building through cracks in the walls, electrical outlets, or wires and pipes.
You don’t need to see the actual bugs to identify their presence. You may first notice spotting on mattresses, bedding, or clothing. This spotting is the result of blood stains that bed bugs leave behind when they are feeding.
What Damage Do Bed Bugs Cause?
Much like mosquitoes, bedbugs feed exclusively on blood from humans and other warm-blooded animals. They are nocturnal insects that feed on exposed skin while the host is asleep, with peak feeding activity occurring just before dawn.
The good news is that bed bugs are not known to carry or transmit diseases. They can, however, still pose risks of discomfort, sleeplessness, and anxiety to senior residents in assisted living communities.
What Are The Signs of A Bed Bug Infestation?
The first sign of a bed bug infestation that your caregivers may notice is “bites” on their residents or residents complaining of bites. Victims of bed bug bites may present red raised bumps that are extremely itchy. They are suffering from an allergic reaction to the salivary gland injection made when a bug feeds.
But here is the tricky part, not everyone is allergic to bed bug bites. This means that bed bugs could be present and individuals may have been bitten but they do not react with any bumps. Research shows that only 30 percent of people who live in an area affected by bed bugs experience any reaction to their bites. In a population of individuals who are 65 and older, 42 percent did not show a reaction to the bites. Seniors often have a reduced sensitivity due to medications they take, including corticosteroids which can suppress their response to allergens.
This spectrum of sensitivity makes it possible for an infestation to spread before any warning signs appear.
Prevent Bed Bug Infestations
Here are the steps your community should take to prevent bed bug infestations if any warning signs are present among your residents.
1. Suspected/Confirmed Infestation
If bed bugs are suspected or confirmed in a resident’s living area:
- Notify management
- Inspect the room/apartment
- If bed bugs are present, notify the Executive Director and Director of Housekeeping
2. Confirmed Infestation Protocol
To prevent the further spread of bed bugs throughout your community:
- Contact a professional exterminator
- Inspect adjacent living and common areas
- Safely and properly clean the affected area to physically remove bugs:
- Vacuum the mattress, carpets, and upholstered furniture
- Dispose of sweeper bag in outside trash
- Wipe down all non-upholstered furniture
- Clean all bedding in hot water and hot dryer
- Wash the resident’s clothing
- Temporarily move the resident to another room/apartment
- DO NOT TAKE ANY BELONGINGS FROM THE INFECTED AREA TO THE NEW LOCATION.
- Place two changes of clothing in a plastic bag, taking them directly to the laundry room and launder them on the hottest settings, then return them to the resident in their temporary living area.
- Conduct follow-up inspections
- Perform routine inspection and discourage clutter
- Discretely examine furniture new residents might bring into the facility
Are you interested in educating your team further on bed bugs and how to prevent bed bug infestation in your assisted living community? Check out our complete guide to assisted living pest prevention!
If seniors have bed bugs they keep quiet cause is 600 dollars to get the apartment treated and they don’t have the money and they have to buy new furniture they can’t afford this they are scared and insecure.
Hi Diana,
Thank you for commenting with your concern!
You’re correct — residents may not report bed bug issues if they are concerned about the cost of treatment. However, most communities understand that it’s more beneficial to take on the costs of bed bug treatments rather than putting the burden on their residents. Everyone is put at risk if bed bug issues are not taken care of immediately, as the bugs can spread quickly and infest common areas and rooms.
While every community and state has its own rules and expectations as part of their resident agreement, it is best practice for communities to take on the responsibility of preparing and overseeing bed bug issues. We encourage operators to be thoughtful in the way they address bed bugs in their agreement/lease. They should be knowledgeable about any state laws or interpretations of the law that would require their own communities to take on the financial responsibility in these kinds of situations (i.e. laws that protect residents’ rights to a clean, safe environment). Administrators should also note that general liability insurance would need to be involved to cover medical costs if any resident were to file a complaint due to bed bug bites that required medical attention.
To prepare for this type of crisis, communities can take the following steps:
1. Train staff members on the signs of bed bugs.
2. Perform proactive checks on furniture that new residents bring in to ensure they do not have bed bugs.
3. Offer non-permeable mattresses as part of residents’ monthly rent.
4. Make residents aware of the signs of bed bug infestations and let them know that there aren’t repercussions for reporting them.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any additional questions or concerns!
Can I visit my elderly parent at assisted living with a bed bug infestation to bring her totes for her clean things. Will I get the bed bugs on me? They are working very hard to get ready for the professionals to come few days. So much work. I need to help. Thank You so much .
Please respond asap …
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for your message. I sincerely apologize for the delayed response but thought it would still be a good idea to respond in case you or anyone else are still looking for information on this. Generally speaking it can be very easy to transport bed bugs and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a visit if your loved ones community is experiencing an infestation. If you have totes or other items that you need to bring to her, I would recommend coordinating a drop of place and time so that the team at the community can get them to her without you being exposed. I hope this helps and that things have cleared up!
Hi. I am moving to a facility that is for disabled people over 55 and is income based. I have read past reviews and have also been told by previous residents that they moved because they could not get rid of bedbugs. They were reported to be infested in just about all units. These people all moved and the management company came in and tore out all the cabinets,carpets, everything. They did have a pest control come in and treat. How can I be sure I won’t get them(I’ve never had them) and should I go ahead and move in? I’m the 1st new resident in my apartment. I’m highly allergic to mosquito venom and break out in welps. HELP!
Hi Pamela,
Thank you for reaching out. I can certainly appreciate your concern but unfortunately I don’t think there is any way to be guaranteed you won’t get bed bugs. Although more likely in a place with a recent outbreak, bed bugs can occur pretty much anywhere, especially in places with people moving in and out frequently. It sounds like they have taken appropriate steps to mitigate the concern, however the choice to move in or not is one that I think you and your family will need to make. If you still have concerns I would recommend talking with them about them to see if they can help you gain a better understanding and/or comfort level of the situation.
I hope this helps!
Amanda